BEIRUT (Dispatches) –
Lebanon has denounced the Zionist regime’s preparations for oil and gas exploration in a disputed maritime area between the two sides.
The Zionist regime’s granting “of offshore exploration contracts to Halliburton Company or others in the disputed area constitutes a violation and a blow to the framework agreement sponsored by the U.S. and the United Nations,” Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said in a statement.
“Israel’s excessive antagonism threatens international peace and security,” he said.
The statement came in response to reports that the occupying regime awarded Halliburton with a contract to carry out oil and gas exploration in the disputed area.
Lebanon is locked in a dispute with the Zionist regime over an area in the Mediterranean Sea spanning about 860 square kilometers (some 332 square miles), known as Zone No. 9, which is rich with oil and gas.
Lebanon says parts of the gas fields are within its exclusive economic zones.
Berri urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council to investigate the Zionist regime’s violation of Lebanon’s rights.
The maritime dispute between Lebanon and the regime has not led to any military conflicts, unlike their land disputes.